Reptile & Amphibian Forums

(A little disoriented here) As for the cricket gels, most I have seen and used (like Fluker's Cricket Quencher) are to provide crix with moisture and may have a little added protein but no Vit/Min. So check your label and if that's what you're using, you need to get some type of commercial gutload and also add fruits and veggies as Mark said. Hope this helps!
And Mark, the gutload I use has max Ca 2% and the dust has max Ca 35%, are there imparticular fruits or veggies you use to increase Ca intake or do you use a gutload that is higher in it? I also feed my crix oranges, leafy greens, cheerios, and oats along with the gutload - would this provide my adults with sufficient Ca intake? Thanks!

Becki,
The blue crix gel is plain , I think ? & you can also buy the yellow kind that has calcium in it.

Also, is it OK to feed crix oranges ? I was doing so & a friend of mine told me a breeder told her not to feed oranges to them ! Too much ?? that's then tranfered to the critters ?? Just wondering , because , I would love to go back to them , the crix love them !!! I gut-load my crix good & if doing so , all I need to dust is once a wk. with Herptivite & once a week with Miner-All , even though they are still babies ?

Thanks,
Jennie

I have said this before Jennie. there is no definitive answer on this subject. do what you think is right. frogs can get metabolic bone disease from too little calcium but too much calcium causes organ damage too. where the happy medium is nobody knows.

Becki,

I know you were asking Mark adivce, but i thought i might chime in on this. If you are feeding the variety that you say you are for your gut-loaded crickets, i'm sure you are getting more nutritional value to your frogs than you would ever have to worry about. Calcium content in the gutload would generally be sufficient, and all the extas just make for better and better quality food. I have used crushed dog food, fish food, ground oats, wheat germ, and even crushed oyster shells on occasion. My father used to use the oyster shells to feed to chickens when they were laying eggs, the calcium and phosphorous content in them are substantial.

The great part of using oranges is the combination a liquid source and simple sugars. and citrus fruit would work, depending whats availible and cheap in your area.

Of course, mark might have a better idea of what to avoid, but these things worked alright for me... and the list is kind of creative...

Ciao

Kenn

I also use tangerines, apples, pears, carrots, squash, etc on occasion and had tried canned dogfood but it just got moldy as they didn't seem to like it much (maybe since it was the cheapest brand ). And while we're on the subject of feeding crix veggies, aren't there some you shouldn't use - like I know potatoes quickly get too high levels of something - nitrogen? - that is bad for them and it seems like there was an imparticular type of leafy green you should also not use, any input?
Anyhow, I've also always dusted once a week with the Ca powder as I thought I was supposed to. However, not having to worry with it for my adults (I'll still keep dusting for my babies) would be nice as Satch - my WTF - mostly refuses every dusted cricket I offer him. But he gets a pinkie treat once every 6 weeks or so and I was hoping that may make up the difference. Thanks for the unput!
Becki

leafy veggies are great. apple slices too. they don't eat stalks. moist dog food is great but I also clean the cricket cages every other day too. oats are good. carrots/potatoes/lettuce. flake fish food is not good because they will eat too much and actually 'explode' from it

....I'll stay away from the fish flakes. I clean my crix house every other day as well but even then I was finding the canned food moldy. And it seems like I remember someone saying you shouldn't feed crix Iceburg lettuce, or some other kind of lettuce for some reason.....dunno....maybe not. Thanks again!
Becki

Ice berg lettuce is not nutritional at all. Romaine is much better. I have a russian tort and ice berg is bad for him. Romiane tastes pretty good, I've tryed it.

Derek